SC moved for calling in army to secure Karachi

by Masood Rehman , (Last Updated January 22, 2011)

ISLAMABAD – In view of the volatile situation in Karachi, a constitutional petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday seeking direction to the federal government to issue a proclamation of emergency under Article 232 and call in armed forces under Article 245 to act in aid of civil power until negative elements were eliminated and the law and order situation became normal.Tariq Asad advocate filed the petition under Article 184(3) making the federal government, the prime minister, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, the Sindh chief secretary and home minister as respondents.The petitioner asked the court to direct respondents to submit a comprehensive report on who were responsible for the murders of citizens. He asked the court to ask the interior minister to resign in case he was unable to perform his duties.The petition submitted that Interior Minister Rehman Malik had declared that as reported by the MI, FIA and ISI, a third force was behind the incidents. The statement was either misleading or reflected the agencies’ inability to control the law and order situation. The petitioner said that if the situation was not controlled by the remedies provided by the constitutional provisions, the lives of the citizens would remain under threat and the economic condition of the country would further deteriorate.He asked the court to order the interior minister to disclose the name of the “third force” that was responsible for targeted killings in Karachi.He also requested the court to direct respondents to protect the fundamental rights of citizens of Karachi guaranteed to them under Article 9 and 14.The petitioner questioned why was the federal government not protecting the lives of citizens of Karachi by imposing emergency or calling in armed forces to secure the city. He said targeted killings in Karachi were on since the past one year, but law enforcing authorities had failed to control the situation.